When we move from one platform to the next, we try to learn how people interact with the app and we try to apply those interactions to the next platform.

Omni’s approach towards Mac and iOS app design is inspiring. Their mindset reminds me a lot of what Jeffery Zeldman wrote regarding the recent redesign A List Apart:

I challenged Mike and Tim to think of design non-canonically. What do I mean by that? Sometimes with responsive design, one particular layout (for instance, the desktop browser layout) feels like the “real” design, and smaller-screen experiences become merely usable afterthoughts. I didn’t want that here. Instead I wanted you, our readers, to feel that you’re experiencing the real thing on whichever device or circumstance you happen to encounter it.

OmniFocus is one of a few quintessential examples of software that has a version for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, yet no clear-cut canonical version. No matter which version your using, you don’t feel like you’re using a satellite version of the “real” app — each platform has its own, real, appropriate, version of OmniFocus.